It should be clear now that it was and remains a catastrophic mistake for people to view privately owned social media platforms as any kind of public resource. People didn't know better a decade ago. They have no excuse now.
@dangoodin I’d go further and say _any_ automated platform that relies on advertising for revenue will always end up deeply enshitified as they have to chase “engagement”. And what engages most is outrage. So we end up with systems, that by design, drag you further and further in the world of grift and crazies.

@bjn @dangoodin
I have to strongly disagree about what engages most. If Mastodon is a platform without that variable...then I can confidently say my most popular posts are just posts about beautiful things. I get the most boosts, likes, comments, etc. on really nice things most.

But I was throttled first by ad-based social media and that is how they get you to dance for the devil to get seen and they groom and channel the outrage type of engagement, rather than the joyful kind.

@JoBlakely @bjn @dangoodin it's a pretty well-documented bit of psychology that folks are more likely to engage with outrage/negativity than the alternatives.

I'm not saying it's always true for everyone, but the sheer success of that kind of content speaks to the general truth of that psychology.

Edit: and it could well be that the atmosphere of the fediverse is leading to a difference here. I, too, get a lot of engagement on positivity and beauty.

@b4ux1t3 @JoBlakely @bjn @dangoodin
I can't find the meme now, but it goes like this:

"Murphy's Law says that if you post something incorrect online, more people will rush in to correct your mistake."
(lots of engagement)
(including the correct answer)

-versus-

"Does anyone know the name of that law about posting something incorrect online?"
(no engagement)

@dec23k @b4ux1t3 @JoBlakely @bjn @dangoodin lol yes it's a meme but it is also an accurate description of Reddit. ;)